Hunting: Gear

3 Ways to Haul Duck Hunting Gear

Haul waterfowl gear in and out of your hunting location on four reliable wheels.

By: Steve Hickoff, Yamaha Outdoors Tips

Want to get your duck hunting gear from one access location to another? There are few better ways than using your Yamaha ATV or Side-by-Side to do it. Three gear items can help.

Use Decoy Bags:
In the good old days before the advent of sturdy, pocketed decoy bags we stashed rigs in the back of the truck and left it at that. Nowadays slotted pockets protect your decoy investment’s painted finish. They fit easily in the back of a four wheeler. Styles vary and include 4-slot, 6-slot, 12-slot sizes for both ducks and geese. One-slot bags are available to protect expensive full-bodied decoys. Some float (good for timber sets), while others hold silhouette dekes firmly for easy carry. Inexpensive mesh decoy bags are useful too, though not as durable as heavy-duty slotted bags.

All fit on the back of your Yamaha wheels for setting pre-dawn spreads.

Use Blind Bags:
Now that you’ve contained your decoy investment in portable bags, you’ll need to stash your shells, calls, and other smaller items for the run to where you’ll hunt. Blind bags often have dozens of zippered pockets, water-resistant elements, and so forth.

The trick is to break your haul into big items (the decoys) and smaller gear to simplify in-and-out transport.

Use Gear Sleds:
If you’re the kind of waterfowler who believes in the “go big or go home” idea, add a sled to the back of your four wheels. Additional gear items can add to the hunting effort and make your deployment into goose fields and flooded duck timber work methodically. This in turn helps you hunt more effectively with better results. Additional decoy bags can be firmly attached with bungee cords.